Week of February 24, 2020
Dear Friend,
My humble apologies for getting this out late. I'm sure you'll understand after you read the explanation below...
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...first though, let me remind everyone that we have
two
opportunities to hear a
fabulous
concert this coming weekend, when violinist Randall Goosby and pianist Zhu Wang perform on Friday, February 28 in Wayne State’s Schaver Recital Hall (at 480 West Hancock between 2
nd
and Cass in Midtown Detroit), and on Saturday, February 29th at Northbrook Presbyterian Church (at 14 Mile and Lahser in Beverly Hills).
You'll enjoy a
sumptuous
program of music by Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Claude Debussy, William Grant Still and Richard Strauss.
CLICK HERE
for tickets (just $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $10 for students).
Now on to this week’s update...
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When I first started writing these updates last November, I promised I would “lift the veil” on the work we do to prepare for the concerts at the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. This past week has presented us with a
unique
opportunity to do just that, as we confront a major program scheduling challenge in our Signature Series next season. This week’s email is late because I was hoping we would come up with a solution by now, but we haven’t yet, so I’ll share the whole problem with you instead!
Gulp, here goes…
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So last week we announced the concerts of the 2020-2021 Signature Series season to our subscribers, mailing out a simple brochure with the artists, programs and dates, and a simple form to return with subscription renewals. We’re
very
excited about the season – here are the concerts (all Saturdays):
- Pinchas Zukerman, violin & Angela Cheng, piano on Sept. 12, 2020
- Alexander Ghindin & Boris Berezovsky, duo-pianists, on Oct. 10, 2020
- The Dover String Quartet & baritone Davon Tines on Nov. 14, 2020
- Four Nations Ensemble, baroque chamber orchestra, on Dec. 5, 2020
- Sphinx Virtuosi, chamber orchestra, on Feb. 13, 2021
- Emanuel Ax, pianist, on Mar. 27, 2021
- Juilliard String Quartet, on Apr. 10, 2021
- Pacifica Quartet, Paul Watkins, Lawrence Dutton & Anthony McGill, on May 15, 2021
Notice anything wrong? Neither did we… until…
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Our very first step in programming – about two years in advance – is to check with the Seligman Performing Arts Center to see what dates may be available in the upcoming season. We usually get about a dozen dates which we whittle down to eight or nine after we find out when the artists we want are available. Then we
carefully
check those dates against major religious holidays, and only
then
do we start our conversations with artist managers.
With me so far?
As our conversations with artists managers start, we generally focus first on the more famous artists whose calendars book up quickly. And while all of the concerts next season are positively stellar, two individuals stand out for their extraordinary fame: Pinchas Zukerman and Emanuel Ax.
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In the case of Mr. Zukerman, we nailed down his Opening Night date right away, all the way back in the fall of 2018. With Mr. Ax, it was a bigger challenge; we went back and forth with his management for several months.
After considerable effort, we finally settled on the date of March 27, 2021 for Emanuel Ax. We published it in our season brochure. Then it hit us.
Somehow in the process of all that back and forth, both we and Mr. Ax's management lost sight of the fact that March 27 is
the first night of Passover!
* * *
Oops!
* * *
Now that's a
real
problem. We
cannot
present a concert by anyone – not even someone as famous as Emanuel Ax – on an evening when a large number of our loyal audience members (and perhaps Mr. Ax himself) will need to be with family members at their Pesach Seder celebration instead.
It's quite the puzzle. When are Mr. Ax and Seligman both available? Two choices appear to be the Friday evening of Passover weekend or Holy Saturday on the following Easter weekend. Neither are good. What about a weeknight? That’s hard at Seligman – after all it’s at a school! Are there dates when Mr. Ax could appear in another hall? On Sunday, March 21, Mr. Ax may be available, but our possible alternative hall (also at a school) won’t release any dates to outside organizations until June, far too late for us to solve this problem.
And so it goes…
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Mark my words, we
will
find a solution with Mr. Ax, and you’ll be the first to know what it is. But in the meantime, take a look at our Signature Series concerts for next year. If you’re already a subscriber, give us a call to renew your seats or send in the form you received in the mail. If you’re not yet a subscriber, give us a call at 313-335-3300 and let us help you find some spectacular seats of your own.
You can explore the whole season
HERE
.
And as always, we’ll see you at the concerts!
Best,
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Steve Wogaman, President
Chamber Music Society of Detroit
Tickets: 313-335-3300 or
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